Thought Design

06/01/2026

Need summer reading, educators?

Not the kind you skim and forget—but something that actually shifts how you lead.

Because if this year felt harder than it should have…
If your team felt stuck, quiet, or disconnected…
There’s likely more going on beneath the surface.

Breaking Invisible Barriers: A Guide to Leading a Thriving School District will help you uncover the hidden cultural dynamics that impact everything from morale to performance.

Inside, you’ll learn how to:
- identify cultural bottlenecks
- turn meetings into real problem-solving spaces
- build psychological safety across your district

We’ll drop the free guide below in the comments so you can start the next school year differently! 👇

05/27/2026

We are grateful for the amazing chefs who turned our Italian Cooking class a few weeks ago into such a blast!

We're currently whisking up a fresh batch of public cooking classes for the fall, but you can still book a private culinary event with your friends and family this summer.

05/26/2026

It was a Tuesday in May. The team showed up tired. 😴

Not because they weren’t committed, but because they’d been running hard for months. The meetings were blurring together. The energy was low. Ideas? Stuck.

Someone finally said, “Let’s get out of here.”

They spent the day off-site at Thought Design. No interruptions. Just space to think, talk, and breathe. By lunch, something shifted. The pace slowed, conversations got clearer, and laughter came easier. By the end of the day, they weren’t just aligned, they were re-energized. ☀️

That’s the power of taking your team offsite.

It’s not just a break from the office. It’s a reset that makes the work better.

Read more on how to make off-sites work for your team: https://hubs.ly/Q047ZF5G0

By stepping out of the traditional office environment and virtual meetings, teams can drive innovation and productivity to new heights.

05/22/2026

Lights, camera, pasta! Our culinary team had a blast with the Fox 17 Mix Morning Crew. Be sure to watch next week to see how they traded in their teleprompters for flour and Italian flavor.

05/20/2026

One of the things we hear leaders say all the time is:
“I can’t keep leading like this.”

Not because they aren’t capable.
Usually because they are.

Over time, many leaders slowly become the person holding everything together:
-the fixer
-the follow-up person
-the emotional processor
-the safety net

And eventually it starts to feel like everything depends on them.

That idea became the foundation of a new book by our COO, Tara Colvin: I Can’t Keep Leading Like This

The book explores the invisible patterns that leave so many leaders overwhelmed, reactive, exhausted, and carrying more than they were ever meant to hold alone.

Honestly, we think a lot of people are going to feel seen by this conversation.

More soon.

05/20/2026

05/18/2026

Studies suggest the majority of leaders overestimate the psychological safety of their teams.

That means many leaders don’t actually see the “climate” their people are working in, and it’s costing trust, performance, and innovation.

Want to take off the blindfold?

We’ll drop a link to our free Psychological Safety eBook in the comments 👇

05/15/2026

A lot of leaders think they’re overwhelmed because they have too much work.

But often that’s not actually the problem.

The deeper issue is that over time, they quietly become:
the decision maker
the fixer
the reminder system
the emotional processor
the follow-up person
the safety net

Eventually, everything starts flowing through them.

Not because they’re weak leaders.
Usually because they’re capable ones.

And after a while, they start saying things like:
“I don’t have time to think.”
“Nothing moves unless I push it.”
“I can’t ever seem to get ahead.”
“I can’t keep leading like this.”

That’s why we created the Momentum Model.

It’s a simple framework that helps leaders step back and evaluate:

what’s actually creating momentum
what’s draining it
and where they may be unintentionally becoming the bottleneck in their own system

Not another productivity hack.
Not another planner.

A different way to think about leadership, ownership, and how your time is actually being spent.

You can download it free here: https://hubs.ly/Q04gMGYV0

05/13/2026

Offsite activities are great for stepping away from the usual routine, but a culinary team-building experience takes it up a notch.

By working together to create something tangible (and delicious!), your team builds stronger bonds, solves challenges in real-time, and leaves with a sense of accomplishment that maybe other offsite team-building activities don’t quite hit.

Turn your next offsite into an unforgettable experience with us!